It Develop An IT Strategy To Support Customer Service v2 1

Develop an IT Strategy to
Support Customer Service

E-commerce is accelerating, and with it, customer
expectations for exceptional digital service.
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Table of Section Title
Contents 1 Executive Brief
2 Phase 1: Define Project and Future State

1.1 Determine Stakeholders and Roles
1.2 Create Project Charter
1.3 Define Vision for Future State
3 Phase 2: Evaluate Current State

2.1 Evaluate Current State Architecture
2.2 Identify Gaps to Future State
2.3 Prioritize List of Requirements
4 Phase 3: Build Roadmap to Future State

3.1 Explore Application Solutions
3.2 Bridge Gaps to Future State
3.3 Plot Initiatives Along Strategic Roadmap
5 Conclusion
6 Bibliography
Info-Tech Research Group | 2

Analyst
Perspective
As the pandemic closed brick-and-mortar stores, the acceleration of ecommerce has
The future of Customer Service is digital. cemented Customer Service’s digital future. However, the pandemic also revealed severe
Your organization needs an IT strategy to cracks in the IT strategy of organizations’ Customer Service – no matter the industry. These
cracks may include low resolution and high wait times through the contact center, or a lack
meet this demand. of analytics that fuel a reactive environment.
Unfortunately, organizations have no time to waste in resolving these issues. Customer
patience for poor digital service has only decreased since March 2020, leaving organizations
with little to no runway for ramping up their IT strategy.
Organizations that quickly mature their digital Customer Service will
come out the other side of COVID-19 more competitive and with a
stronger reputation. This move necessitates a concrete IT strategy for
coordinating what the organization’s future state should look like and
agreeing on the technologies and software required to meet this state
across the entire organization.
Thomas E. Randall, Ph.D.

Senior Research Analyst, Info-Tech Research Group

Executive Summary
Your Challenge Common Obstacles Info-Tech’s Solution
• COVID-19 has accelerated ecommerce, rapidly • The relationship between Customer Service • Use Info-Tech’s methodology to produce an IT
evolving customer expectations about the and IT is strained. Strategic system-related strategy for Customer Service:
service they should receive. Without a robust IT decisions are being made without the • Phase 1: Define Project and Future State
strategy for enabling remote, contactless points inclusion of IT.
• Phase 2: Evaluate Current State
of service, your organization will quickly fall
• IT is in a permanent reactive state, only • Phase 3: Build a Roadmap to Future State
behind.
engaged post-purchase to fix issues as they
• The organization would like to use modern arise and to offer workarounds. • Each phase contributes toward this blueprint’s key
channels and technologies to enhance customer deliverable: the Strategic Roadmap.
service, but it is unclear whether IT has the
infrastructure to support them.
Info-Tech Insight
IT must proactively engage with the organization to define what good customer service should look like. This ensures IT has a fair say in what
kinds of architectural solutions are feasible for any projected future state. In this proactive scenario, IT can help build the roadmap for implementing
and maintaining customer service infrastructure and operations, reducing the time and resources spent on putting out preventable fires or trying to
achieve an unworkable goal set by the organization.

Key insights
Ecommerce Despite the huge obstacles that organizations are having to overcome to meet
Develop an IT Strategy growth has accelerating ecommerce from the pandemic, customers have not increased their
to Support Customer increased tolerance for organizations with poor service. Indeed, customer expectations for
Service customer excellent digital service have only increased since March 2020. If organizations cannot
expectations meet these demands, they will become uncompetitive.
The future of Without a coordinated IT strategy for leveraging technology and data to improve
customer Customer Service, the organization will quickly be left behind. Analytics and reporting
service is tied are crucial for proactively engaging with customers, planning marketing campaigns,
up in analytics and building customer profiles. Failing to do so leaves the organization blind to
customer needs and will constantly be in firefighting mode.
Meet the Providing an omnichannel experience is fast becoming a table stakes offering for
customer customers. To maximize customer engagement and service, the organization must
wherever they connect with the customer on whatever channel the customer prefers – be it social
are – no media, SMS, or by phone. While voice will continue to dominate how Customer
matter the Service connects with customers, demographics are shifting toward a digital-first
channel generation. Organizations must be ready to capture this rapidly expanding audience.
This Increased
• An IT strategy for Customer Service that proactively meets
customer demand, improving overall customer satisfaction with the
blueprint customer
satisfaction
organization’s services.
will achieve:
• A process for identifying the organization’s future state of
Customer Service and developing a concrete gap analysis.
• Ready-to-use deliverables that analyze and provide a roadmap

toward the organization’s desired future state.
Time saved
• Market analyses and rapid application selection through
SoftwareReviews to streamline project time-to-completion.
• A modernization process that aids Customer Service digital

transformation, with a view to achieve high ROI.
Increased ROI • Save costs through an effective requirements gathering method.
• Building and expanding the organization’s customer base to

increase revenues by meeting the customers where they are – no
matter what channel.
An IT strategy for customer service is imperative
for a post-COVID world
COVID-19 has accelerated ecommerce, rapidly evolving customer expectations for remote, contactless service.
Of customers agree that the

59% pandemic has raised their
standards for service
(Salesforce, 2020).
• With COVID-19, most customer demand and employment moved online and turned
remote.
• Retailers had to rapidly respond, meeting customer demand through ecommerce. This not
only entailed a complete shift in how customers could buy their goods but how retailers
could provide a remote customer journey from discovery to post-purchase support.
Info-Tech Insight
The pandemic did not improve customer tolerance for bad service – instead,
the demand for good service increased dramatically. Organizations need an IT
strategy to meet customer support demands wherever the customer is located. Info-Tech Research Group | 7
The technology to provide remote customer support is
surging
IT needs to be at the forefront of learning about and suggesting new technologies, working with Customer
Service to deliver a consistent, business-driven approach.
Rapidly changing demographics and modes of
Of decision makers say they’ve invested communications require an evolution toward
OMNICHANNEL
78% in new technology as a result of the
SUPPORT
omnichannel engagement. Agents need customer
information synced across each channel they use,
pandemic (Salesforce, 2020).
meeting the customer’s needs where they are.
Customers want their issues resolved as quickly

as possible. Machine-learning self-service
Of customers have increased their use of INTELLIGENT SELF-
78% self-service during the pandemic SERVICE PORTALS
options deliver personalized customer
experiences, which also reduce both agent call
(Salesforce, 2020). volume and support costs for the organization.
The future of customer service is tied up with

Of global executives who use data analytics analytics: from AI-driven capabilities that
LEVERAGING include agent assist and using biometric data
90% report that they improved their ability to
ANALYTICS (e.g., speech) for security, to feeding real
deliver a great customer experience insights about how customersInfo-Tech
and agents are
Research Group | 8
(Gottlieb, 2019). doing and performing.
Executive Brief – Case Study
INDUSTRY SOURCE
Self-service options improve quality of service and boost organization’s Financial Services TSB
competitiveness in a digital marketspace.
Situation Solution Results

• The pandemic increased pressure on TSB’s • TSB sought to boost its competitiveness by • TSB processed 140,000 forms in three
Customer Service, with higher call loads shifting as far as possible to digital months, replacing 15,000 branch visits.
from their five million customers who were services. • TSB increased digital self-service rate by nine
anxious about their financial situation. percent.
• TSB launched government loan programs
• TSB needed to speed up its processing times in 36 hours, ahead of its competitors.
to ensure loan programs and other assistances
• TSB created and released 21 digital self-
were provided as quickly as possible.
service forms for customers to complete
• As meeting in-person became impossible due without needing to interact with bank staff.
to the lockdown, TSB had to step up its
digital abilities to serve their customers.

IT can demonstrate its value to business by enhancing
remote customer service
IT must engage with Customer Service – otherwise, IT risks being perennially reactive and dictated to as
remote customer service needs increase.
IT benefits Customer Service

benefits
• The right technology is established to • Streamlined and optimized Customer
support Customer Service. Service processes that drive efficiency
• IT is viewed as a strategic partner and and improve Customer Service quality.
innovator, not just a cost center and • Transformation of the Customer
support function. Service function into a competitive
advantage.
Info-Tech Insight
Change to how Customer Service will operate is inevitable. This is an opportunity for IT to establish their value to the business and improve their
autonomy in how new technologies should be onboarded and utilized.
Customer Service and IT need to work together to
mitigate their pain points
IT and Customer Service have an opportunity to reinforce and build their organization’s customer base by
working together to streamline operations.
IT pain points Customer Service pain points

• IT lacks understanding of Customer Service challenges and pain • Processes supporting Customer Service delivery may be sub-optimal.
points. • The existing technology cannot support the increasingly advanced
• IT has technical debt or constrained technology funding. needs of Customer Service functions.
• The IT department is viewed as a cost center and support • Customer Service isn’t fully aware of what your customers think of
organization, not an engine of innovation, growth, and service your service quality. There is little to no monitoring of customer
delivery performance. sentiment.
• There is a lack of value-based segmentation of customers and
information on their channel usage and preferences.
IT often cannot spark a debate with Customer Service on • Competitor actions are not actively monitored.
whether a decision made without IT is misaligned with
corporate direction. It’s almost always an uphill battle for
IT.
Sahri Lava, Research Director, IDC
Develop an IT Strategy to Support Customer Service
DON’T FALL BEHIND 70% of companies either have a digital transformation strategy in place or are working on
one (Tech Pro Research, 2018). Unless IT can enable technology that meets the customer where
they are, the organization will quickly fall behind in an age of accelerating ecommerce.
DEVELOP FUTURE STATES Many customer journeys are now exclusively digital – 63% of customers expect to
receive service over social media (Ringshall, 2020). Organization’s need an IT
strategy to develop the future of their customer service – from leveraging analytics to
self-service AI portals.
73% of customers prefer to shop across multiple channels

BUILD GAP ANALYSIS
(Sopadjieva et al., 2017). Assess your current state’s application
integrations and functionality to ensure your future state can accurately
sync customer information across each channel.
SHORTLIST SOLUTIONS Customer relationship management software is one of the world's fastest
growing industries (Kuligowski, 2022). Choosing a best-fit solution requires an
intricate analysis of the market, future trends, and your organization’s requirements.
ADVANCE CHANGE 95% of customers cite service as key to their brand loyalty (Microsoft, 2019). Build out your
roadmap for the future state to retain and build your customer base moving forward.
Use Info-Tech’s method to produce an IT
strategy for Customer Service:
PHASE 1: Define Project and Future State
Output: Project Charter and Future State Business Processes
1.1 Structure the Project
1.2 Define a Vision for Future State KEY DELIVERABLE:
1.3 Document Preliminary Requirements Strategic Roadmap
PHASE 2: Evaluate Current State

Output: Requirements Identified to Bridge Current to Future
State
2.1 Document Current State Business Processes
2.2 Assess Current State Architecture
2.3 Review and Finalize Requirements for Future State
PHASE 3: Build a Roadmap to Future State

Output: Initiatives and Strategic Roadmap
3.1 Evaluate Architectural and Application Options
3.2 Understand the Marketplace
3.3 Score and Plot Initiatives Along Your Strategic Roadmap Info-Tech Research Group | 13
Key deliverable and tools outline
Each step of this blueprint is accompanied by supporting materials to help you
accomplish your goals.
Key Deliverable:
Strategic Roadmap
Project RACI Develop, prioritize, and implement key Business
Chart initiatives for your customer service IT Process
Activity 1.1a strategy, plotting and tracking them on an Shortlisting
Activities 1.2a, 1.2b, and
easy-to-read timeline.
Organize roles and 2.1a Tool
responsibilities for Outline and prioritize
carrying out customer service goals.
project steps.
Systems
Project
Strategy Tool
Charter
Activities 1.3a, Phase 2,
ActivityTemplate
1.1b
3.1a
Define the project, its key
deliverables, and metrics Prioritize requirements,
for success. assess current state customer
service functions, and decide
whatInfo-Tech
to do with your
Research Groupcurrent
| 14
systems going forward.

Looking ahead: defining metrics for success
As this project nears completion:
Phase 1 of this blueprint will help solidify how to measure this 1. Customers will have more opportunities for self-
service resolution.
project’s success. Start looking ahead now.
2. Agents will experience higher satisfaction, improving
attrition rates.
For example, the metrics below show the potential business benefits for several 3. The organization will experience higher ROI from its
stakeholders through building an IT strategy for Customer Service. These digital Customer Service investments.
stakeholders include agents, customers, senior leadership, and IT. The benefits of this
project are listed to the right. 4. Customers can engage the contact center via a
communication channel that suits them.
Metric Description Current Metric Future Goal

Number of channels for customer contact
PL E
1 6
M
Customer self-service resolution 0% 50%
% ROI
Agent satisfaction EX A - 4%
42%
11%
75%
Info-Tech offers various levels of
support to best suit your needs
Guided Implementation
DIY Toolkit Workshop Consulting
“Our team has already made this “Our team knows that we need to “We need to hit the ground “Our team does not have the time
critical project a priority, and we fix a process, but we need running and get this project or the knowledge to take this
have the time and capability, but assistance to determine where to kicked off immediately. Our project on. We need assistance
some guidance along the way focus. Some check-ins along the team has the ability to take this through the entirety of this
would be helpful.” way would help keep us on over once we get a framework project.”
track.” and strategy in place.”
Diagnostics and consistent frameworks are used throughout all four options.

Guided Implementation
A Guided
What does a typical Guided Implementation on this topic look like? Implementation is a
series of calls with an
Info-Tech analyst to
Evaluate Architectural help implement our
Define Project and Document and Assess Build Roadmap to
Future State Current State
and Application
Future State best practices in your
Options
organization.
Call #1: Call #4: Call #7: Call #9:
Introduce project, Document current Evaluate Develop and score
A typical Guided
defining its vision state business architectural initiatives to future Implementation is
and metrics of processes. options.
success.
state. two to 12 calls over
Call #2: Call #5: Call #10: the course of four to
Review Assess current Develop timeline and
environmental scan customer service IT Call #8: roadmap.
six months.
to define future state architecture. Evaluate
vision. application Call #11:
Call #3: Call #6: options. Review progress and
Examine future state Refine and prioritize
list of requirements wrap-up project.
business processes to
compile initial for future state.
requirements.
Info-Tech
Info-Tech Research
Research Group| 17
Group | 17
Workshop Overview
Contact your account representative for more information.
workshops@infotech.com 1-888-670-8889
Day 1 Day 2 Day 3 Day 4 Day 5

Define Your Vision for Document Current State Adopt an Architectural Frame Desired State and Communicate and
Future State and Assess Gaps Posture Develop Roadmap Implement
1.1 Outline and prioritize 2.1 Holistically assess 3.1 Analyze Customer Service 4.1 Help project management 5.1 Finalize deliverables.
your customer goals. multiple aspects of Systems Strategy and stakeholders visualize
Activities
5.2 Support communication

1.2 Link customer service Customer Service-related review results with the implementation of efforts.
goals’ relevance and value IT assets with Customer Customer Service Systems Customer Service IT
Service Systems Strategy Strategy Tool. initiatives. 5.3 Identify resources in
to your Customer Service support of priority
processes. Tool. 4.2 Build strategic roadmap initiatives.
1.3 Score Customer Service and plot initiatives.
business processes against
organizational goals.
1. Initial position on viable 1. Documented current state 1. Posture on system 1. Scored and prioritized list 1. Customer Service IT
Customer Service business process model. architecture. of initiatives. Strategy Roadmap.
Deliverables
strategies. 2. Customer Service systems 2. Completed Customer 2. Customer Service 2. Mapping of Info-Tech
2. Shortlist of key business health assessment. Service systems health implementation roadmap. resources against
processes. 3. Inventory of Customer assessment. individual initiatives.
3. Documented future-state Service supporting 3. List of application options.
business process model. applications.
4. Business/functional/non- 4. Inventory of related system
functional requirements. interfaces.

This phase will guide you through the
Phase 1 following activities:
1.1a Create your project’s RACI chart

to establish key roles throughout the
Define Project and Future State timeline of the project.
1.1b Finalize your project charter that

captures the key goals of the project,
ready to communicate to stakeholders for
approval.
1.2a Begin documenting business

processes to establish potential future
states.
Phase 1 Phase 2 Phase 3
2.1 Document Current State 3.1 Evaluate Architectural 1.2b Model future state business
1.1 Structure the Project Business Processes and Application Options processes for looking beyond current
1.2 Define Vision for Future 2.2 Assess Current State 3.2 Understand the constraints and building the ideal
State Architecture Marketplace scenario.
1.3 Document Preliminary 2.3 Review and Finalize
3.3 Score and Plot Initiatives 1.3a Document your preliminary
Requirements Requirements for Future
Along Strategic Roadmap requirements for concretizing a future
State
state and performing a gap analysis.
Participants required for Phase 1:
• Applications Director
• Customer Service Director

Develop an IT Strategy to Support Customer Service • IT and Customer Service
Representatives
1.1 Identify process owners early for successful project
execution
IT and Customer Service must work in tandem throughout the project. Both teams’ involvement ensures all
stakeholders are heard and support the final decision.
Customer Service Perspective IT Perspective
• Customer Service is the victim of pain points • IT owns the application and back-end support of all
resulting from suboptimal systems and it stands to Customer Service business processes. Any
gain the most benefits from a well-planned technological aspect of processes will need IT
systems strategy. involvement.
• Looking to reduce pain points, Customer Service • IT may or may not have the mandate to run the
will likely initiate, own, and participate heavily in Customer Service strategy project. Responsibility
the project. for systems decisions remains with IT.
• Customer Service must avoid the tendency to • IT should own the task of filtering out unnecessary
make IT-independent decisions. This could lead to or infeasible application and technology decisions.
disparate systems that contribute little to the IT capabilities to support such acquisitions and
overall organizational goals. post-purchase maintenance must be considered.
Info-Tech Insight
While involving management is important for high-level strategic decisions, input from those who interact day-to-day with the systems is a
crucial component to a well-planned strategy. Info-Tech Research Group | 20
1.1 Define project roles and responsibilities to improve
progress tracking
Assign responsibilities, accountabilities, and other project involvement roles using a RACI chart.
• IT should involve Customer Service from the beginning of project

planning to implementation and execution. The project requires input and
knowledge from both functions to succeed.
• Do not let the tasks be forgotten within inter-functional communication.
Define roles and responsibilities for the project as early as possible.
• Each member of the project team should be given a RACI designation,
which will vary for each task to ensure clear ownership, execution, and
progress tracking.
• Assigning RACI early can:
o Improve project quality by assigning the right people to the right
tasks.
o Improve chances of project task completion by assigning clear
accountabilities.
o Improve project buy-in by ensuring that stakeholders are kept
informed of project progress, risks, and successes.
R – Responsibility C – Consulted
A – Accountability I – Informed Info-Tech Research Group | 21
1.1 Use Info-Tech’s recommended process owners and
roles for this blueprint
Customer
Customer Applications Marketing
Service CIO CEO/COO Sales Head
Service Head Director* Head
Director
Determine Project
A R C C C I I
Suitability
Phase 1.1 C C A R I I I
Phases 1.2 – 1.3 A R C C I C C
Phase 2 A R I C I I I
Phase 3.1
(Architectural C C A R I I I
options)
Phase 3.1
(Application A C I R I C C
options)
* The Applications Director is to compile a list of Customer Service systems; the Customer Service Director is responsible for vetting a list and mapping it to Customer Service functions.
Phases
** 3.2 – 3.3
The Applications Ctechnology-related decisions
Director is responsible for C (e.g. SaaS or on-premise,
A integration issues); the Customer
R Service Director is C I
responsible for functionality-related I
decisions.
Input Output
1.1a Create your project’s • Identification of key project • A completed RACI chart
RACI chart participants and

stakeholders.
that establishes key roles
throughout the project’s
timeline.
1 hour
1. The Applications Director and Customer Service Head should identify key
participants and stakeholders of the project.
2. Use Info-Tech’s Project RACI Chart to identify ownership of tasks.
3. Record roles in the Project RACI Chart.
Materials Participants
• Project RACI Chart • Applications Director
Download the Project RACI Chart

1.1 Start developing the project charter
A project charter should address What is a project charter?
the following: • The project charter defines the project and lays the
 Executive Summary and Project foundation for all subsequent project planning.
Overview • Once approved by the business, the charter gives the
• Goals project lead formal authority to initiate the project.
• Benefits
• Critical Success Factors
Why create a project charter?
 Scope
• The project charter allows all parties involved to reach
 Key Deliverables
an agreement and document major aspects of the
 Stakeholders and RACI project.
 Risk Assessment • It also supports the decision-making process and can be
• What are some risks you may used as a communication tool.
encounter during project
execution? Stakeholders must:
 Projected Timeline and Key
• Understand and agree on the objectives and important
Milestones
characteristics of the project charter before the project is
 Review and Approval Process
initiated.
• Be given the opportunity to adjust the project charter to better
address their needs and concerns. Info-Tech Research Group | 24
Input Output
1.1b Finalize the project • Customer Service and IT • A completed project charter
charter strategies
• Justification of impetus to
that captures the key goals
of the project, ready to
communicate to
begin this project
1-2 hours stakeholders for approval.
• Timeline estimates
1. Request relevant individuals and parties to complete sections of Info-Tech’s
Project Charter Template.
2. Input the simplified RACI output from tab 3 in Info-Tech’s Project RACI Chart
tool into the RACI section of the charter.
3. Send the completed template to the CIO and Customer Service Head for approval.
4. Communicate the document to stakeholders for changes and finalization. Materials Participants
• Project RACI Chart • Applications Director
• Project Charter Template • Customer Service Director
Download the Project Charter Template

1.2 IT must play a role shaping Customer Service’s
future vision
IT is only one or two degrees of separation from the end customer – their involvement can significantly
impact the customer experience.
Customer
IT Service
Customer
Customer Service-Facing Application Customer-Facing Application

• IT supports customer-facing interfaces and channels for
• IT enables, supports, and maintains the applications used by Customer Service interaction.
the Customer Service organization to service customers. IT • Channel examples include web pages, mobile device
provides the infrastructural and technical foundation to operate applications and optimization, and interactive voice response
the function. for callers.
1.2 Establish a vision for Customer Service
excellence
Info-Tech has identified three prominent Customer Service strategic patterns. Evaluate which fits best
with your situation and organization.
Retention Efficiency Cross-Sell/Up-Sell

Ensuring customers remain customers by Reducing costs by diverting customers to Maximizing the value of existing
providing proactive customer service and a lower cost channels and empowering customers by capitalizing on cross-sell and
seamless omnichannel strategy. agents to solve problems quickly. up-sell opportunities.
1.2 Let profitability goals help reveal which
strategy to pursue
Profitability goals are tied to the enabling of customer service strategies.
GOALS ENABLING
• If looking to drive cost decreases across the organization, pursue STRATEGIES
cost efficiency strategies such as customer volume diversion in
order to lower cost channels and avoid costly escalations for
customer complaints and inquiries. Increase
• Ongoing Contribution Margin is positive only once customer Revenue Cross-Sell/Up-Sell
acquisition costs (CAC) have been paid back. For every
customer lost, another customer has to be acquired in order to
experience no loss. In this way, customer retention strategies
help decrease your overall costs. Increase
• Once cost reduction and customer retention measures are in place, Profit x
look to increase overall revenue through cross-selling and up-
selling activities with your customers.
Efficiency
Decrease
Info-Tech Insight Costs Retention
Purely driving efficiency is not the goal. Create a balance that does not
compromise customer satisfaction.

Customer Service strategies: Case studies
MISS DIG 811 – a utility notification system – sought to
• Volume diversion to lower cost channels make their customer service more efficient by moving to
Efficiency • Agent empowerment
softphones. Using the Cisco Customer Journey Platform,
Miss Dig saw a 9% YoY increase in agent productivity and
83% reduction in phone equipment costs. Source: (Cisco,
2018).
VoiceSage worked with Home Retail Group – a general

merchandise retailer – to proactively increase customer
outreach, reducing the number of routine customer order
• Proactive Customer Service
Retention • Seamless omnichannel strategy
and delivery queries received. In four weeks, Home Retail
Group increased their 30-40% answer rate from customers
to 100%, with 90% of incoming calls answered and 60%
of contacts made via SMS. Source: (VoiceSage, 2018)
A global brand selling language-learning software utilized

Callzilla to help improve their call conversion rate of 2%.
Cross-Sell/ • Cross-Sell and Up-Sell opportunities After six months of agent and supervisor training, this
Up-Sell company increased their call conversion rate to 16% and
their upsell rate to 40%. Their average order value
increased from < $300 to $465. Source: (Callzilla,
Info-Tech n.d.)| 29
Research Group
1.2 Performing an environmental scan can help IT
optimize Customer Service support
Though typically executed by Customer Service, IT can gain valuable insights for best supporting
infrastructure, applications, and operations from an environmental scan.
An environmental scan seeks to understand your organization’s

customers from multiple directions. It considers: Customers
Customers’ value-based segmentations.
The interaction channels customers prefer to use.

Customer
Customer Service
Customers’ likes and dislikes. Satisfaction Competitor Environmental Value
Dedicated
and Sentiment s Scan Segments
Value-Based
The general sentiment of your customer service Segmentation
quality.
What your competitors are doing in this space.

Channel
Preferences
Info-Tech Insight
Business processes must directly relate to customer service. Failing to correlate customer experience
with business performance outcomes overlooks the enormous cost of negative sentiment.
1.2 The environmental scan results should drive IT’s
strategy and resource spend
Insights derived from this scan can help frame IT’s contributions to Customer Service’s future vision.
Why IT should care: Implications:

Each customer experience, from product/service selection to post-
It is not just IT or Customer Service that should care; rather, it should
transaction support, can have a significant impact on business
be an organizational responsibility to care about what customers say.
performance.
Customers have little tolerance for mediocrity or poor service and

Do not ignore your competitors; they may be doing something well in Customer
simply switch their allegiances to those that can satisfy their
Service technology which may serve as your organization’s benchmark.
expectations.
With maturing mobile and social technologies, customers want to

Do not ignore your customers’ plea for individuality through mobile and social.
be treated as individuals rather than as a series of disconnected
Assess your customers’ technology channel preferences.
accounts
Customer service’s perception of service quality may be

Prevent your organization from investing in technology that will have no positive
drastically different than what is expected by the
impact on your customer experience.
customers.
Some customers may not provide your organization

Focus on enhancing the technology and customer service
the business value that surpasses your cost to serve
experience for your high-value customers.
them.
1.2 Have Customer Service examine feedback across
channels for a holistic view
Your method of listening needs to evolve to include active listening on social and mobile channels.
Limitations of conventional listening:

• Solicited customer feedback, such as surveys, do not provide an accurate
Insights and
feedback method since customers only have one channel to express their
Implications for views.
Customer Service • Sentiment, voice, and text analytics within social media channels provide
the most accurate and timely intelligence.
IT can help facilitate the customer feedback process by:

• Conducting customer feedback with voice recognition software.
• Monitoring customer sentiment on mobile and social channels.
How IT Can Help • Utilizing customer data analytic engines on social media management
platforms.
• Referring Customer Service to customer advisory councils and their
databases.

1.2 Benchmark IT assets by examining your
competitors’ Customer Service capabilities
The availability of the internet means almost complete transparency between your products and
services, and those of your competitors.
Insights and implications from How IT can help

Customer Service
• Competitor actions are crucial. Watch your competitors to learn how they use
Take a data and analytics-driven approach to mine insights on what customers
Customer Service as a competitive differentiator and a customer acquisition tool. are saying about your competitors. Negative sentiment and specific complaints
• Do not learn about a competitor’s actions because your customers are already can be used as reference for IT and Customer Service to:
switching to them. Track your competitors before getting a harsh surprise from • Avoid repeating the competitor’s mistakes.
your customers.
• Utilize sentiment as a benchmark for goal setting and improvements.
• View the customer service experience from the outside in. Assessing from the
• Duplicate successful technology initiatives to realize business value.
inside out gives an internal perspective on how good the service is, rather than
what customers are experiencing.
Info-Tech Insight
Look to your competitors for comparative models but do not pursue to solely replicate what they currently have. Aim higher and
attempt to surpass their capabilities and brand value.
1.2 Collaborate with Customer Service to understand
customer value segments
Let segmentation help you gain intelligence on customers’ expectations.
Insights and implications from customer service

• Segment your customers based on their value relative to the cost to
Retention
serve. The easiest way to do so is with channel preference
Cost of
categorization.
• If the cost for retention attempts are higher than the value that those
customers provide, there is little business case to pursue retention
Value
action.
How IT can help

“If you're developing a Customer Service strategy, it has to
• Couple value-based segmentation with channel preference and start with who your clients are, what [they are] trying to
satisfaction levels of your most-valued customers to effectively do, and through what channels […] and then your decision
target IT investments in channels that maximize service around processes have to fall out of that. If IT is trying to
customization and quality. lead the conversation, or bring people together to lead the
conversation, then marketing and whoever does
• Correlate the customers’ channel and technology usage with their
segmentation has to be at the table as a huge component of
business value to see which IT assets are delivering on their
this.” Lisa Woznica, Director of Client Experience, BMO Financial Group
investments.
1.2 Be mindful of trends in the consumer and
technology landscape
Building a future vision of customer service requires knowing what upcoming technologies can aid the
organization.
Rapidly changing demographics and modes of communication requires an evolution toward omnichannel
OMNICHANNEL engagement. 63% of customers now expect to communicate with contact centers over their social media (Ringshall
SUPPORT 2020). Agents need customer information synced across each channel they use, meeting the customer’s needs where
they are.
Customers want their issues resolved as quickly as possible. Machine learning self-service options deliver
INTELLIGENT SELF- personalized customer experiences, which also reduce both agent call volume and support costs for the organization.
SERVICE PORTALS 60% of contact centers are using or plan to use AI in the next 12 months to improve their customer (Canam
Research 2020).
The future of customer service is tied up with analytics. This not only entails AI-driven capabilities that fetch the
LEVERAGING
agent relevant information, but it finds skills-based routing and uses biometric data (e.g., speech) for security. It also
ANALYTICS feeds operations leaders’ need for easy access to real insights about how their customers and agents are doing.

Phase 1 – Case Study
INDUSTRY SOURCE
Omnichannel support delivers a financial services firm immediate customer Financial Services Mattsen Kumar
service results.

• A financial services firm’s fast growth began • Mattsen Kumar diagnosed that the firm’s • 25% reduction in callbacks from
to show cracks in their legacy customer major issue was that their customer service customers.
service system. processes required a high percentage of • $50,000 reduction in operational costs.
manual interventions.
• Costs to support the number of customer • Two minutes wait time reduction for chat
queries increased. • Mattsen Kumar developed an omnichannel process.
strategy, including a mix of social channels
• There was a lack of visibility into incoming • 14% decrease in average handle time.
joined together by a CRM.
customer communications and their
resolutions. • A key aspect of this omnichannel • Scaled up from 6000 to 50,000 monthly
experience was designing automated calls that could be handled by the current
• Business opportunities were lost due to a team.
processes with minimal manual
lack of information on customers’
intervention. • Enabled more than 10,000 customer
preferences and challenges. Customer
satisfaction was decreasing, negatively queries over chats.
impacting the firm’s brand.
* Organization anonymized. Info-Tech Research Group | 36

1.2 Construct your future state using a business process
management approach
Documenting and evaluating your business processes serves as a good starting point for defining the
overall Customer Service strategy.
• Examining key Customer Service business processes can unlock clues around the
following:
o Driving operational effectiveness.
o Identifying, implementing, and maintaining reusable enterprise systems.
o Identifying gaps that can be addressed by acquisition of additional systems.
• Business process modeling facilitates the collaboration between business and IT,
recording the sequence of events, tasks performed, by whom they are performed, and
the levels of interaction with the various supporting applications.
• By identifying the events and decision points in the process, and overlaying the
people that perform the functions and technologies that support them, organizations
are better positioned to identify gaps that need to be bridged. Info-Tech Insight
A process-oriented approach helps organizations see the
• Encourage the analysis by compiling the inventory of Customer Service business complete view of the system by linking strategic requirements to
processes that are relevant to the organization.
business requirements, and business requirements to system
requirements.

1.2 Use the APQC Framework to define your Customer
Service-related processes
The APQC Framework serves as a high-level, industry-neutral enterprise model that allows organizations to
see activities from a cross-industry process perspective.
• APQC’s Process Classification Framework (PCF) is a taxonomy of cross-

functional business processes intended to allow the objective comparison of
organizational performance within and among organizations.
• Section 5 of the PCF details various levels of Customer Service business
processes, useful for mapping on to your own organization’s current state.
• The APQC Framework can be accessed through the following link:
APQC’s Process Classification Framework.
Info-Tech Caution
The APQC framework does not list all processes within a specific
organization, nor are the processes which are listed in the framework
present in every organization. It is designed as a framework and
global standard to be customized for use in any organization.

Source: (Ziemba and Eisenbardt 2015)
1.2 Each APQC process has five levels that represent
its logical components
The PCF provides L1

through 4 for the Customer
Service Framework.
L5 processes are task- and

industry-specific and need
to be defined by the
organization.
Source: (APQC
2020)
This Industry Process Classification Framework was jointly developed by APQC and IBM to facilitate improvement through process management and benchmarking. ©2018 APQC Info-Tech Research Group | 39
and IBM. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
1.2 Understand each APQC level for Customer Service
business processes
5.1 Develop a customer care/ 5.2 Plan and manage Customer 5.3 Measure and evaluate Customer
Customer Service strategy Service operations Service operations
5.1.1 Develop Customer Service segmentation 5.2.1 Plan and manage your Customer Service 5.3.1 Measure customer satisfaction with customer
• Analyze existing customers workforce requests/inquiries handling
• Analyze feedback of customer needs • Forecast volume of Customer Service contacts • Gather and solicit post-sale customer feedback on
• Schedule Customer Service work force products and services
• Track work force utilization • Solicit post-sale customer feedback on ad
5.1.2 Define customer policies and procedures • Monitor and evaluate quality of customer effectiveness
interactions with Customer Service • Analyze product and service satisfaction data and
5.1.3 Establish service levels for customers representatives identify improvement opportunities
5.2.2 Manage Customer Service requests/inquiries
• Provide customer feedback to product management
• Receive customer requests/inquiries
on products and services
• Route customer requests/inquiries
5.3.2 Measure customer satisfaction with customer
• Respond to customer requests/inquiries
compliant handling and resolution
With this framework in mind, building your
• Solicit customer feedback on complaint
Customer Service strategy can be grounded on 5.2.3 Manage customer complaints • Analyze customer complaint data and identify
an established method: APQC’s category “5. • Receive customer complaints
Manage Customer Service.” • Route customer complaints
• Resolve customer complaints 5.3.3 Measure customer satisfaction with products and
• Respond to customer complaints services
• Repeat 5.3.1 bullet points.
Input Output
1.2a Begin documenting • List of Customer Service • A detailed prioritization of
business processes goals Customer Service business

processes to model for
future states
4 hours
1. Using Info-Tech’s Customer Service Business Process Shortlisting Tool, list the
Customer Service goals and rank them by importance.
2. Score the APQC L4 processes by relevance to the defined goals and perceived
satisfaction index.
3. Define the L5 processes for the top scoring L4 process.
4. Leave Tab 5, Columns G – I for now. These columns will be revisited in activities Materials Participants
1.2b and 2.1a.
• Whiteboard • Applications Director
• Writing materials • Customer Service Director
• Customer Service Business • IT and Customer Service

Process Shortlisting Tool Representatives
Download the Customer Service Business Process Shortlisting Tool

1.2 Start designing the future state of key business
processes
If Customer Service transformation is called for, start with your future-state vision. Don’t get stuck in current
state and the “art of the possible” within its context.
Start by designing your future state business processes (based on the key processes
shortlisting exercise). Design these processes as they would exist as your “ideal
scenario.” Next, analyze your current state to help better your understanding of:
Future-State • The gaps that exist and must be bridged to achieve the future-state vision.
Analysis • Whether or not any critical functions that support your business were omitted “If you're fairly immature and looking for a
accidentally from the future-state processes. paradigm shift or different approach
• Whether or not any of the supporting applications or architecture can be [because] you recognize you're totally doing
salvaged and used toward delivery of your future-state vision. it wrong today, then starting with
documenting current state doesn't do a lot
Though it’s a commonly used approach, documenting your current-state business except make you sad. You don't want to get
processes first can have several drawbacks: stuck in [the mindset of] ‘Here's the current
• Current-state analysis can impede your ability to see future possibility. state, and here’s the art of the possible.’”
• Teams will spend a great deal of time and effort on documenting current state Current- Trevor Timbeck, Executive Coach, Parachute Executive Coaching
and inevitably succumb to “analysis paralysis.”
State
• Current state assessment, when done first, limits the development of the
Analysis
future (or target) state, constraining thinking to the limitations of the
current environment rather than the requirements of the business strategy.

1.2 Start modeling future-state processes
Build buy-in and accountability in process owners through workshops and whiteboarding – either
in-person or remotely.
Getting consensus on the process definition (who does what, when, where,
why, and how) is one of the hardest parts of BPM.
Gathering process owners for a process-defining workshop isn’t easy. Getting
them to cooperate can be even harder. To help manage these difficulties
during the workshop, make sure to:
• Keep the scope contained to the processes being defined in order to make
best use of everyone’s time, as taking time away from employees is a cost
too.
• Prior to the workshop, gather information about the processes with
interviews, questionnaires, and/or system data gathering and analysis.
• Use the information gathered to have real-life examples of the processes in
question so that time isn’t wasted.
Info-Tech Insight
Keep meetings short and on task as tangents are inevitable. Set ground rules at
the beginning of any brainstorming or whiteboarding session to ensure that all
participants are aligned.
1.2 Use the five W’s to help map out your future-state
processes
Define the “who, what, why, where, when, and how” of the process to gain a better understanding of
individual activities.
Owner Who What When Where Why How
Agent enters claim into the
Customer Customer
Record Claim Customer Service Claim Accident Claims system system and notifies claims
Service Rep. notification
department
Claims Agent submitted the Agent Clerk enters claim into the claims
Manage Claim Claims Clerk Claim Claims system
Department claim notification system
Investigate Claim
Claims Property where
Adjuster Claim Claim notification Assess damage Evaluation and expert input
Investigation claim is being made
Claim and
Claims Receipt of Adjuster’s
Settle Claim Claim Approver Adjuster’s Claims system Evaluation Approval or denial
Department report
evaluation
Finance Claim approval Payment Create payment voucher and cut
Administer Claim Finance Clerk Claim amount Finance system
Department notification required check
Claim and all
Claims Claim
Close Claim Claims Clerk supporting Payment issued Claims system Close the claim in the system
Department processed
documentation
Info-Tech Insight
It’s not just about your internal processes. To achieve higher customer retention and satisfaction, it’s also useful to map the customer service process from the customer
perspective to identify customer pain points and disconnects.
1.2 Use existing in-house software as a simplistic entry
point to process modeling
A diagramming tool like Visio enables you to plot process participants and actions using dedicated symbols
and connectors that indicate causality.
Sample cross-functional diagram using the claims process
• Models can use a stick-figure format, a cross-functional workflow format, or
Claims Process
BPMN notation.
• Plot the key activities and decision points in the process using standard
Customer Service
Record Customer Service has complained
flowcharting shapes. Identify the data that belongs to each step in a separate Claim about how long it takes to populate
customer information into the
document or as call-outs on the diagram. system.
• Document the flow control between steps, i.e., what causes one step to finish and
another to start?
Manage
Claims
Settle
Close Claim
Info-Tech Best Practice Claim Claim
Diagramming tools can force the process designer into a specific layout:
linear or cross-functional/swim lane.
Adjuster
Investigate
Claim
• A linear format is recommended for single function and system
processes.
Claims are not closed properly
Finance
• A swim lane format is recommended for cross-functional and cross- after administration. Customers Administer
are not receiving notification. Claim
departmental processes. Info-Tech Research Group | 45
1.2 Introduce low investment alternatives for process
modeling for modeling disciplines
SaaS and low-cost modeling tools are emerging to help organizations with low to medium BPM maturity
visualize their processes.
• Formal modeling tools allow a designer to model in any view and easily Record
Claim
Manage Investigate
Settle Claim
Administer Close Claim
Claim Claim Claim
switch to other views to gain new perspectives on the process.
Leverage process management
• Subscription-based, best-of-breed SaaS tools provide scalable and flexible software to switch between views
process modeling capabilities. easily without re-drawing
• Open source and lower cost tools also exist to help distribute BPM modeling Claims Process
discipline and standards. Swim lane format
Customer
Service
• BPMS suites incorporate advanced modeling tools with process execution Record
Claim
engines for end-to-end business process management. Integrate process
discovery with modeling, process simulation, and analysis. Deploy, monitor,
Manage
Claims
Settle
and measure process models in process automation engines. Close Claim
Claim Claim
Adjuster
Investigate
Claim
Finance
Explore SoftwareReviews’ Business Process Management market Administer
analysis by clicking here. Claim
Input Output
1.2b Model future state • Modeled future Customer • An inventory of modeled
business processes Service business processes future states for critical

Customer Service business
processes
4 hours
1. Model the future state of the most critical business processes.
2. Use Tab 5, Columns G – H of Info-Tech’s Customer Service Business Process

Shortlisting Tool to keep stock of what processes are targeted for modeling, and
whether the models have been completed.
• Customer Service Business

Process Shortlisting Tool

1.3 Start a preliminary inventory of your
requirements
Use the future state business process models as a source for software requirements.
• Business process modeling deals with business requirements that can be

used as the foundation for elicitation of system (functional and non- For each task or event in the process, ask the following
functional) requirements. questions:
• Modeling creates an understanding of the various steps and transfers in each • What is the input?
business process, as well as the inputs and outputs of the process. • What is the output?
• What are the underlying risks and how can they be
• The future state models form an understanding of what information is mitigated?
needed and how it flows from one point to another in each process. • What conditions should be met to mitigate or eliminate
each risk?
• Understand what technologies are (or can be) leveraged to facilitate the
• What are the improvement opportunities?
exchange of information and facilitate the process. • What conditions should be met to enable these
opportunities?
Info-Tech Insight
Incorporate future considerations into the requirements. How will the system need to adapt over time to accommodate additional processes,
process variations, introduction of additional channels and capabilities, etc. Do not overreach by identifying system capabilities that cannot possibly
be met.
1.3 Understand the four different requirements to
document
Have a holistic view for capturing the various requirements the organization has for a Customer
Service strategy.
Business requirements
High-level requirements that management would typically
understand.
User requirements
High-level requirements on how the tool should empower
users’ lives.
Non-functional requirements
Criteria that can be used to judge the operation of a contact center.
It defines how the system should perform for the organization.
Functional requirements
Outline the technical requirements for the desired contact
center.
1.3 Extract requirements from the business process
models
To see how, let us examine our earlier example for the Claims Process, extracting requirements from the
“Record Claim” task.
Task Input Output Risks Opportunities Condition Sample Requirements
Record Customer Case Record • An agent accidentally misses • Reduce time to populate • Pre-population of the case Business:
Claim Email the email and the case is not the customer’s claim with the email contents. • The system requires email-to-case functionality.
submitted. information into the • Suggested routing based Non-Functional:
• The contents of the email are case. on the nature of the case. • The cases must be supported in multiple languages.
not properly ported over into • Automation of data • Multi-language support. • Case management requires Outlook integration.
the case for the claim. capture and routing. Functional:
• The claim is routed to the • The case must support the following information:
wrong recipient within the • Title
Claims department. • Customer
• There is translation risk when • Subject
the claim is entered in another • Case Origin
language from which it is • Case Type
received. • Owner
• Status
• Priority
• The system must pre-populate the claims agent based on
the nature of the case.

Input Output
1.3a Document your preliminary • Half-day workshop to • An inventory of preliminary
requirements review the proposed future-

state diagrams and distill
from them the business,
requirements for modeled
future states
4 hours functional, and non-

functional requirements
1. The Applications Director and Customer Service Head are to identify participants • Future state business
based on the business processes that will be reviewed. process models from
activities 1.2a and 1.2b
2. They are to conduct a workshop to gather all requirements that can be taken from
the business process models.
3. Use Tab 4 of Info-Tech’s Customer Service Systems Strategy Tool to document

your preliminary requirements.
• Customer Service Systems • IT and Customer Service

Strategy Tool Representatives
• Results of activities 1.2a and

1.2b
Download the Customer Service Systems Strategy Tool

following activities:
Phase 2 2.1a Model current-state business

processes for an inventory to compare
against future-state models.
Evaluate Current State
2.1b Compare future and current
business states for a preliminary gap
analysis.
2.1c Begin compiling an inventory of

CS Systems by function for an
overview of your current state map.
2.2a Rate your functional and

Phase 1 Phase 2 Phase 3 integration quality to assess the
1.1 Structure the Project 2.1 Document Current State performance of your application
3.1 Evaluate Architectural
1.2 Define Vision for Future Business Processes portfolio.
and Application Options
State 2.2 Assess Current State
Architecture 3.2 Understand the 2.3a Compare states and propose
1.3 Document Preliminary Marketplace action to bridge current business
2.3 Review and Finalize
Requirements 3.3 Score and Plot Initiatives processes with viable future alternatives.
Requirements for Future
State Along Strategic Roadmap
2.3b Document finalized requirements,
ready to enact change.
Develop an IT Strategy to Support Customer Service • IT and Customer Service

Representatives
• IT Managers
2.1 Document the current state of your key
business processes
Doing so will solidify your understanding of the gaps, help identify any accidental omissions from the future
state vision, and provide clues as to what can be salvaged.
• Analysis of the current state is important in the context of gap analysis. It aids in
understanding the discrepancies between your baseline and the future-state vision,
and ensuring that these gaps are recorded as part of the overall requirements.
• By analyzing the current state of key business processes, you may identify critical
functions that are in place today that were not taken into consideration during the
future-state business process visioning exercise.
• By overlaying the current state process models with the applications that support
them, the current state models will indicate what systems and interfaces can be
salvaged.
• The baseline feeds the business case, allowing the team to establish proposed
benefits and improvements from implementing the future-state vision. Seek to
understand the following:
• The volumes of work
• Major exceptions
• Number of employees involved Info-Tech Research Group | 53
2.1 Assess the current state to drive the gap
analysis
Before you choose any solution, identify what needs to be done to your current state in order to achieve the
vision you have defined.
• By beginning with the future state in mind, you have likely already
envisioned some potential solutions. Assessment Example
Future State Current Situation Next Actions/
• By reviewing your current situation in contrast with your desired Proposals
future state, you can deliberate what needs to be done to bridge the
gap. The differences between the models allow you to define a set
Incorporate social No social media 1. Implement a social media
of changes that must be enacted in sequence or in parallel. These channels for monitoring or channels monitoring platform tool and
represent the gaps. responding to customer for interaction exist at integrate it with the current
inquiries. present. CSM.
• The gaps, once identified, translate themselves into additional 2. Recruit additional Customer
requirements. Service representatives to
monitor and respond to inquiries
Info-Tech Insight via social channels.
3. Develop report(s) for analyzing
It is important to allot time for the current-state analysis, volumes of inquiries received
confine it to the minimum effort required to understand through social channels.
the gaps, and identify any missing pieces from your
future-state vision. Make sure the work expended is
proportional to the benefit derived from this exercise.
Input Output
2.1a Model current-state • Modeled current-state • An inventory of modeled
business processes Customer Service business

processes
current states for critical
Customer Service business
processes
2 hours
1. Model the current state of the most critical business processes, using the work
done in activities 1.2a and 1.2b to help identify these processes.
2. Use Tab 5, Column I of Info-Tech’s Customer Service Business Process

Shortlisting Tool to keep stock of what models have been completed.
3. This tool is now complete.

• Results of activities 1.2a and

1.2b.

Input Output
2.1b Compare future and • The results of activities 1.2a, • An overview and analysis of
current business states 1.2b, and 2.1a.

• Modeled future- and
current-state business
how to reach certain future
states from the current state.
processes • A preliminary list of next

2 hours steps through bridging the
gap between current and
future states.
1. Use Tab 9 of Info-Tech’s Customer Service Systems Strategy Tool to record a
summary of the future state, current state, and actions proposed in order to bridge
the gaps.
• Fill out the desired future state of the business processes and IT architecture.
• Fill out the current state of the business processes and IT architecture.
• Fill out the actions required to mitigate the gaps between the future and Materials Participants
current state.


2.1 Assess whether Customer Service architecture can
meet future-state vision
Approach your CS systems holistically to identify opportunities for system architecture optimization.
Consider the following metrics when tracking your CS systems:

• Organizations often do not have a holistic view of their Customer Service
systems. These systems are often cobbled together from disparate parts, such as: Time needed to perform core tasks (i.e., resolving a customer
complaint)
o Point solutions (both SaaS and on-premise).
o Custom interfaces between applications and databases. Accuracy of basic information (customer history, customer
product portfolio)
o Spreadsheets and other manual workarounds.
CSR time spent on manual process/workarounds
• A high degree of interaction between multiple systems can cause distention in
the application portfolio and databases, creating room for error and more work
for CS and IT staff. Mapping your systems and architectural landscape can help
you: Info-Tech Insight
o Identify the number of manual processes you currently employ. There is a two-step process to document the current state of
your Customer Service systems:
o Eliminate redundancies. 1. Compile an inventory of systems by function
o Allow for consolidation and/or integration. 2. Identify points of integration across systems

Input Output
2.1c Begin compiling an • Applications Directors’ • A corroborated inventory of
inventory of CS systems by knowledge of the current

state
the current state for
Customer Service systems
function • IT Managers’ validation of

this state
2 hours
1. Using Tab 2 of Info-Tech’s Customer Service Systems Strategy Tool, request that the CS
managers fill in the application inventory template with all the CS systems that they use.
2. Questions to trigger exercise:

• Which applications am I using? Materials Participants
• Which CS function does the application support?
• How many applications support the same function?
• Customer Service Systems • Applications Director
• What spreadsheets or manual workarounds do I use to fill in system gaps?
Strategy Tool
• IT managers
3. Send the filled-in template to IT Managers to validate and fill in missing system
information.

2.1 Use activity 2.1c for an overview of your current
state map
Tab 2
Tab 3
Info-Tech Insight
A current-state map of CS systems can offer insight on:
(i) Coverage, i.e. whether all functional areas are supported by systems.
(ii) Redundancies, i.e. functional areas with multiple systems. If a customer’s records are spread across multiple systems, it may
be difficult to obtain a single source of truth. Info-Tech Research Group | 59
2.2 Assess current state with user interface architecture
diagrams
Understand a high-level overview of how your current state integrates together to rate its overall quality.
• If IT already has an architecture diagram, use this in conjunction with your

application inventory for the basis of current state discussions.
• If your organization does not already have an architecture diagram for review and
discussion, consider creating one in its most simplistic form using the following
guidelines (see illustrative example on next slide):
Represent each of your systems as a labelled shape with a unique number (this
number can be referenced in other artifacts that can provide more detail).
Color coding can also be applied to differentiate these objects, e.g., to indicate
an internal system (where development is owned by your organization) vs. an
external system (where development is outside of your organization’s control).

2.2 Example: Current state with user interface
architecture diagrams
Unique System Number
4
Unique Interface
2 3 Number System
External
CRM 5 SMMP
Internal System
1 2,3
# System Description
1
1 ERP
ERP
2 CRM
3 SMMP
# Interface Description From To Push/Pull Method Frequency
1 Send Customer Account Updates CRM ERP Push Hourly (Automatic)

2 Send Customer Account Updates ERP CRM Push Hourly (Automatic)
3 Product Summary Update ERP CRM Pull Daily (Manual)
4 Inbound Social Media SMMP CRM Push Real-Time
Inquiries/Complaints (Automatic)
5 Outbound Social Media Response CRM SMMP Push Real-Time
(Automatic)
2.2 Evaluate application functionality and functional
coverage
Use this documentation of the current state as an opportunity to spot areas for rationalizing your
application portfolio.
If an application is well-received by the 01

organization and is an overall good
platform, consider acquiring more
modules from the same vendor
02 If you have more than one application for a
application.
function, consider why that is and how you
might consolidate into a single application.
Measure the effectiveness of applications 03
under consideration. For example, consider
the number of failures when an application
attempts a function (by ticket numbers), and
04 The above steps will reveal capability
overall satisfaction/ease of use.
overlaps and application pain points and show
how the overall portfolio could be made more
efficient.
2.2 Determine the degree of integration
between systems
Data and system integration are key components of an effective CS system portfolio.
The needed level of integration will depend on three major Integration between systems helps facilitate
factors: reporting. The required reports will vary from
organization to organization:
How many other systems benefit from the data Large workforces will benefit from more
of the application? detailed WFM reports for optimizing
workforce planning and talent acquisition.
Organizations with competitive sales and

Will automating the integration between systems incentives will want to strategize around
alleviate a significant amount of manual effort? talent management and compensation.
Aging workforces or organizations with

highly specialized skills can benefit from
What kind of reports will your organization
detailed analysis around succession planning.
require in order to perform core and business-
enabling functions?
Phase 2 – Case Study
INDUSTRY SOURCE
Integrating customer relationship information streamlines customer service and Retail and Wholesale inContact
increases ROI for the organization.

• Hall Automotive – a group of 14 multi- • Hall Automotive utilized an inContact • Call time decreased from five minutes to
franchise auto dealerships located throughout solution that included Automated Call one minute and 23 seconds.
Virginia and North Carolina – had customer Distributor, Computer Telephony • 350% increase in production.
information segmented throughout their Integration, and IVR technologies.
CRM system at each dealership. • Market response time down from three
• This created a complete customer-centric months to one day.
• Call center agents lacked the technology to system that interfaced with multiple CRM
synthesize this information, leading and back-office systems. • Cost per call cut from 83 cents to 23 cents.
customers to receive multiple and unrelated • Increased agents’ calls-per-hour from 12 to
• The inContact solution simplified
service calls. 43.
intelligent call flows, routed contacts to the
• Hall Automotive wanted to avoid right agent, and provided comprehensive • Scalability matched seasonal fluctuations
embarrassing information gaps, integrate customer information. in sales.
multiple CRM systems, and help agents
focus on customers.

Input Output
2.2a Rate your functional and • Applications Directors’ • A documented evaluation of
integration quality knowledge of the current

state
the organization’s
application portfolio
regarding functional and
• IT Managers’ validation of
2 hours this state
integration quality
1. Using Tab 5 of Info-Tech’s Customer Service Systems Strategy Tool, evaluate the
functionality of your applications.
2. Then, use Tab 6 of the Customer Service Systems Strategy Tool to evaluate the
integration of your applications.
• Customer Service Systems • Applications Director

Strategy Tool
• IT managers

2.3 Revisit and refine the future-state business processes
and list of requirements
With a better understanding of the current state, determine whether the future-state models hold up. Ensure
that the requirements are updated accordingly to reflect the full set of gaps identified.
• Future-state versus current-state modeling is an iterative process.

• By assessing the gaps between target state and current state, you
may decide that:
o The future state model was overly ambitious for what can
reasonably be delivered in the near-term.
o Core functions that exist today were accidentally omitted from
the future state models and need to be incorporated.
o There are systems or processes that your organization would
like to salvage, and they must be worked into the future-state
model.
• Once the future state vision is stabilized, ensure that all gaps have
been translated into business requirements.
o If possible, categorize all gaps by functional and non-functional
requirements.

Input Output
2.3a Compare states and • Modeled future- and • An accurate list of action
propose action
current-state business steps for bridging current
processes
• Refined and prioritized list and future state business
of requirements processes
3 hours
• Revisit Tab 9 of Info-Tech’s Customer Service Systems Strategy Tool to more accurately
compare your organization’s current- and future-state business processes.
• Ensure that gaps in the system architecture have been captured.
• Writing materials • IT managers
• Customer Service Systems

Strategy Tool

2.3 Prioritize and finalize the requirements
Prioritizing requirements will help to itemize initiatives and the timing with which they need to occur.
Prioritize the full set of requirements by assigning a priority to each:
Requirements are to be prioritized 1. High/Critical: A critical requirement; without it, the product is not acceptable to the stakeholders.
based on relative important and the
timing of the respective initiatives. 2. Medium/Important: A necessary but deferrable requirement that makes the product less usable but still
functional.
3. Low/Desirable: A nice feature to have if there are resources, but the product can function well without it.
Consider the following criteria when assigning the priority:

Requirements prioritization must be • Business value • Regulatory compliance
completed in collaboration with all
• Business or technical risk • Relationship to other requirements
key stakeholders (business and IT).
• Implementation difficulty • Urgency
• Likelihood of success • Unified stakeholder agreement
Stakeholders must ask themselves:

• What are the consequences to the business objectives if this requirement is omitted?
• Is there an existing system or manual process/workaround that could compensate for it?
• Why can’t this requirement be deferred to the next release?
• What business risk is being introduced if a particular requirement cannot be implemented
right away? Info-Tech Research Group | 68
Input Output
2.3b Document finalized • Modeled future- and • A documented finalized list
requirements
current-state business of requirements to achieve
processes
• Refined and prioritized list future state business
of requirements processes
4 hours
1. Using Tab 4 of Info-Tech’s Customer Service Systems Strategy Tool, evaluate your
applications’ functionality, review, refine, prioritize, and finalize your requirements.
2. Review the proposed future state diagrams in activity 2.3a and distill from them the
business, functional, and non-functional requirements.
3. The Applications Director and Customer Service Head are to identify participants based
on the business processes that will be reviewed. They are to conduct a workshop to
gather all the requirements that can be taken from the business process models. Materials Participants
• Whiteboard • IT Applications Director
• Customer Service Systems • IT and Customer Service

Strategy Tool Representatives
Download the Customer Service Systems Strategy Tool Info-Tech Research Group | 69
following activities:
Phase 3 3.1a Analyze future architectural

posture to understand how applications
within the organization ought to be
Build Roadmap to Future State arranged.
3.3a Develop a Customer Service IT

Systems initiative roadmap to reach
your future state.

Phase 1 Phase 2 Phase 3 • CIO
1.1 Structure the Project 2.1 Document Current State 3.1 Evaluate Architectural • Customer Service Director
1.2 Define Vision for Future Business Processes and Application Options
2.2 Assess Current State • Customer Service Head
State 3.2 Understand the
1.3 Document Preliminary Architecture Marketplace • IT and Customer Service
2.3 Review and Finalize
Requirements 3.3 Score and Plot Initiatives Representatives
Requirements for Future
Along Strategic Roadmap
State • IT Applications Director
Develop an IT Strategy to Support Customer Service

Input Output
3.1a Analyze future • Review Tab 8 of the • An overview of how
architectural posture
Customer Service Systems different applications in the
Strategy Tool
organization ought to be
assessed
1 hour
1. Review Tab 8 of the Customer Service Systems Strategy Tool.
2. This tab plots each system that supports Customer Service on a 2x2 framework based on
its functionality and integration scores. Where these systems plot on each 2x2 provides
clues as to whether they should be considered for retention, functional enhancement
(upgrade), increased system integration, or replacement.
• Integrate: The application is functionally
rich, so integrate it with other modules by
building or enhancing interfaces. Materials Participants
• Retain: The application satisfies both
functionality and integration requirements,
so it should be considered for retention.
• Replace: The application neither offers the
• Customer Service Systems • IT Applications Director
functionality sought, nor is it integrated
with other modules. Strategy Tool
• Replace/Enhance: The module offers poor
functionality but is well integrated with • IT and Customer Service
other modules. If enhancing for Representatives
functionality is easy (e.g., through
configuration or custom development),
consider enhancement or replace it
altogether.
Download the Customer Service Systems Strategy Tool Info-Tech Research Group | 71
3.1 Interpret 3.1a’s results for next steps
Involving both sales and marketing in these discussions will provide a 360-degree view on what the
modifications should accomplish.
The applications are performing well in terms of functionality but have poor integration.
If the majority of applications are plotted in Determine what improvements can be made to enhance integration between the systems where
the “Integrate” quadrant: required (e.g. re-working existing interfaces to accommodate additional data elements,
automating interfaces, or creating brand new custom interfaces where warranted).
If the applications are spread across There is no clear recommended direction in this case. Weigh the effort required to
“Integrate,” “Retain,” and replace/enhance/integrate specific applications critical for supporting processes. If resource
“Replace/Enhance”: usage for piecemeal solutions is too high, consider replacement with suite.
If the majority of applications are plotted All applications satisfy both functionality and integration requirements. There is no evidence
in the “Retain” quadrant: that significant action is required.
Consider whether or not IT has the capabilities to execute application replacement procedures. If
If the application placements are split considering replacement, consider the downstream impact on applications that the system in
between the “Retain” and question is currently integrated with. Enhancing an application usually implies upgrading or
“Replace/Enhance” quadrants: adding a module to an existing application. Consider the current satisfaction with the application
vendor and whether the upgrade or additional module will satisfy your customer service needs.
3.1 Work through architectural considerations to narrow
future states
Best-of-breeds vs. Integration and

Deployment
suite consolidation
Does the organization only Does the current state enable

interoperability between Should any new
need a point solution or an software be SaaS-based,
entire platform of solutions? software? Is there room for
rationalization? on-premises, or a
hybrid?
Info-Tech Insight
Decommissioning and replacing entire applications can put well-functioning modules at risk. Make sure to drill down
into the granular features to assess if the feature level performance prompts change. The goal is to make the architecture
more efficient for Customer Service and easier to manage for IT. If integration has been chosen as a course of action, make sure
that the spend on resources and effort is less than that on system replacement. Also make sure that the intended architecture
streamlines usability for agents.
3.1 Considerations: Best-of-breeds vs. suite
If requirements extend beyond the capabilities of a best-of-breed solution, a suite of tools may be
required.
Best-of-breed Suite
Benefits Benefits
• Features may be more advanced for specific functional areas and a higher • Everyone in the organization works from the same set of customer data.
degree of customization may be possible.
• There is a “lowest common denominator” for agent learning as consistent
• If a potential delay in real-time customer data transfer is acceptable, best- user interfaces lower learning curves and increase efficiency in usage.
of-breeds provide a similar level of functionality to suites for a lower
• There is a broader range of functionality using modules.
price.
• Integration between functional areas will be strong and the organization will
• Best-of-breeds allow value to be realized faster than suites, as they are be in a better position to enable version upgrades without risking invalidation
easier and faster to implement and configure.
of an integration point between separate systems.
• Rip and replace is easier and vendor updates are relatively quick to market.
Challenges Challenges
• Best-of-breeds typically cover less breadth of functionality than suites. • Suites exhibit significantly higher costs compared to point solutions.
• There is a lack of uniformity in user experience across best-of-breeds. • Suite module functionality may not have the same depth as point solutions.
• Due to high configuration availability and larger-scale implementation
• Data integrity risks are higher. requirements, the time to deploy is longer than point solutions.
• Variable infrastructure may be implemented due to multiple disparate
systems, which adds to architecture complexity and increased maintenance.
• There is potential for redundant functionality across multiple best-of-breeds.

3.1 Considerations: Integration and
consolidation
Use Tab 7 of Info-Tech’s Customer Service Systems Strategy Tool to gauge the need for consolidation.
Theoretical scenarios and recommendations
Problem:
IT benefits • Large Redundancy – multiple applications address
the same function, but one application performs
• Decreased spend on infrastructure, application better than others.
acquisition, and development.
• Reduced complexity in vendor management. Recommendation:
• Consolidate the functions into Application 1 and
• Less resources and effort spent on internal consider decommissioning Applications 2 to 4.
integration and functional customization.
Problem:
Customer Service benefits • Large Redundancy – multiple applications address
the same function, but none of them do it well.
• Reduced user confusion and application usage Recommendation:
efficiency. • None of the applications perform well in functional
support. Consider replacing with suite or leveraging
• Increased operational visibility and ease process the Application 3 vendor for functional module
mapping. expansion, if feasible. Info-Tech Research Group | 75
• Improved data management and integrity.
3.1 Considerations: Deployment
SaaS is typically recommended as it reduces IT support needs. However, customization limitations and higher
long-term TCO values continue to be a challenge for SaaS.
On-premises Hybrid deployment Public cloud

deployment Benefits Benefits deployment
Benefits • Pick-and-mix which aspects to keep on • Physical hardware is not required.
• Solution and deployment are highly premises and which to outsource. • There is rapid deployment, vendor managed
customizable. • Benefits of scaling and flexibility for product updates, and server maintenance.
• There are fewer compliance and security risks outsourced solution. • There are lower upfront costs.
because customer data is kept on premises.
Challenges Challenges
Challenges • Expensive to maintain. • There is higher TCO over time.
• There is slower physical deployment. • Requires in-house skillset for on-premises • There are perceived security risks.
• Physical hardware and software are required. option. • There are service availability and reliability
• There are higher upfront costs. • Some control is lost over outsourced risks.
customization. • There is limited customization.
3.1 Considerations: Public cloud deployment
Functionality is only one aspect of a broader range of issues to narrow down the viability of a cloud-based
architecture.
Whether the data is stored on premise or in the cloud, it is never 100% safe. The risk increases with a multi-tenant cloud solution where a
Security/Privacy
Concerns:
single vendor manages the data of multiple clients. If your data is particularly sensitive, heavily scrutinize the security infrastructure of
potential vendors or store the data internally if internal security is deemed stronger than that of a vendor.
Location:
If there are individuals that need to access the system database and work in different locations, centralizing the system and its database in
the cloud may be an effective approach.
Compatibility: Assess the compatibility of the cloud solutions with your internal IT systems. Cloud solutions should be well-integrated with internal
systems for data flow to ensure efficiency in service operations.
SaaS allows conversion of up-front CapEx to periodic OpEx. It assists in bolstering a business case as costs in the short-run are much more
Cost/Budget
manageable. On-premise solutions have a much higher upfront TCO than cloud solutions. However, the TCO for the long-term usage of
Constraints:
cloud solutions under the licensing model will exceed that of an on-premise solution, especially with a growing business and user base.
Ensure that the function or feature that you need is available on the cloud solution market and that the feature is robust enough to meet service
Functionality/
quality standards. If the available cloud solution does not support the processes that fit your future-state vision and gaps, it has little business
Customization:
value. If high levels of customization are required to meet functionality, the amount of effort and cost in dealing with the cloud vendor may
outweigh the benefits.
Maintenance/ For most organizations, lapses in cloud-service availability can become disastrous for customer satisfaction and service quality.
Downtime: Organizations should be prepared for potential outages since customers require constant access to customer support.
3.2 Explore the customer service technology
marketplace
Your requirements, gap analysis, and assessment of current applications architecture may have prompted the
need for a new solutions purchase.
• Customer service technology has come a long way since PABX in 1960s call centers. Let Info-Tech give you a quick overview of the market and
the major systems that revolve around Customer Service.
• Agent assist
Social media becomes a • Augmented reality support
Email support Web Channels/Live method for customers to • Conversational AI and speech analytics
begins. Chat starts. publicly review. • Omnichannel support
Pre-1995 1996 2001 2005 2008 2010 2011 2015 onwards

Dominated by phone Web Self-Services Smartphone apps become Mainstream AI-enabled
support. appear. gateways for customer virtual assistants.
service.
Info-Tech Insight
While Customer Relationships Management systems interlock several aspects of the customer journey, best-of-breed software for specific aspects of
this journey could provide a better ROI if the organization’s coverage of these aspects are only “good enough” and need boosting.
3.2 The CRM software market will continue to grow at
an aggressive rate
• In recent years, CRM suite solutions have matured significantly in their CRM Global Market Growth, 2019 - 2027
customer support capabilities. Much of this can be attributed to their
140
acquisitions of smaller best-of-breed Customer Service vendors.
120 116.2
• Many of the larger CRM solutions (like those offered by Salesforce) 106.7
have now added social media engagement, knowledge bases, and multi- 100 97.2
87.7
$ billions
channel capabilities into their foundational offering. 78.2
80
68.7
• CRM systems are capable of huge sophistication and integration with the 59.2
60
core ERP, but they also have heavy license and implementation costs, 49.7
and therefore may not be for everyone. 40.2
40
• In some cases, customers are looking to augment upon very specific 20
capabilities that are lacking from their customer service foundation. In
these cases, best-of-breed solutions ought to be integrated with a CRM, 0
2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 2026 2027
ERP, or with one another through API integration.
Source: (Grand View Research,
2020)
3.2 Utilize SoftwareReviews to focus on which CS area
needs enhancing
Contact Center as a Service
(CCaaS) Customer Service
Cloud-based customer experience solution that Management (CSM)
allows organizations to utilize a provider’s Supports an organization's interaction with
software to administer incoming support or current and potential customers. It uses data-
inquiries from consumers in a hosted, driven tools designed to help organizations
subscription model. drive sales and deliver exceptional customer
experiences.
Customer Intelligence Platform Enterprise Social Media
Gather and analyze data from both structured and Management
unstructured sources regarding your customers, Software for monitoring social media activity
including their demographic/firmographic details with the goal of gaining insight into user
and activities, to build deeper and more effective opinion and optimizing social media campaigns.
customer relationships and improve business
outcomes. Virtual Assistants and
Customer Relationship Chatbots
Management (CRM) interactive applications that use Artificial
Intelligence (AI) to engage in conversation via
Consists of applications designed to automate and
speech or text. These applications simulate human
manage the customer life cycle. CRM software
interaction by employing natural language input
optimizes customer data management, lead
and feedback.
tracking, communication logging, and marketing Info-Tech Research Group | 80
campaigns.
3.2 SoftwareReviews’ data accelerates and improves
the software selection process
SoftwareReviews collects and analyzes detailed reviews on enterprise software from real users to give you an
unprecedented view into the product and vendor before you buy.
• With SoftwareReviews:
Access premium reports to understand the
marketspace of 193 software categories.
Compare vendors with SoftwareReviews’ Data
Quadrant Reports.
Discover which vendors have better customer
relations management with SoftwareReviews’
Emotional Footprint Reports.
Explore the Product Scorecards of single
vendors for a detailed analysis of their
software offerings.

3.2 Speak with category experts to dive deeper into
the vendor landscape
CLICK HERE to access SoftwareReviews
Fact-based reviews of business Top-tier data quality backed by a

Comprehensive
software reviews
software from IT professionals. rigorous quality assurance process.
to make better IT
Product and category reports with User-experience insight that reveals the
decisions.
state-of-the-art data visualization. intangibles of working with a vendor. We collect and analyze the most detailed reviews
on enterprise software from real users to give you
an unprecedented view into the product and
vendor before you buy.
is powered by Info-Tech.
Technology coverage is a priority for Info-Tech, and SoftwareReviews provides the most comprehensive unbiased data on today’s
technology. The insights of our expert analysts provide unparalleled support to our members at every step of their buying journey.
3.2 Leverage Info-Tech’s Rapid Application
Selection Framework
Improve your key software selection metrics for best-of-breed customer service software.
A simple measurement of the Use our Project Satisfaction Tool to Use our Use our
number of days from intake to measure stakeholder project Application Portfolio Assessment Contract Review Service to
decision. satisfaction. Tool benchmark and optimize your
annually to measure application technology spending.
satisfaction.
Learn more about Info-Tech’s The Rapid Application Selection Framework
The Rapid Application Commodity & Personal Applications
Selection Framework (RASF)
is best geared toward • Simple, straightforward applications (think OneNote vs. Evernote)
RASF Methodology
• Total application spend of up to $10,000; limited risk and complexity
commodity and mid-tier • Selection done as a single, rigorous, one-day session
enterprise applications
Complex Mid-Tier Applications
• More differentiated, department-wide applications (Marketo vs. Pardot)
• Total application spend of up to $100,000; medium risk and complexity

Not all software selection projects are created equal – • RASF approach done over the course of an intensive 40-hour engagement
some are very small, some span the entire enterprise. To
ensure that IT is using the right framework, understand
the cost and complexity profile of the application
you’re looking to select. The RASF approach is best for
Enterprise Applications
commodity and mid-tier enterprise applications; • Sophisticated, enterprise-wide applications (Salesforce vs. Dynamics)
Engagement
Consulting
selecting complex applications is better handled by the
• Total application spend of over $100,000; high risk and complexity
methodology described in
Implement a Proactive and Consistent Vendor Selection • Info-Tech can assist with tailored, custom engagements
Process.

3.3 Translate gathered requirements and gaps into
project-based initiatives
Identify initiatives that can address multiple requirements simultaneously.
Consider this case:

• You now have a list of requirements from assessing business Paul’s organization, a midsize consumer
processes and the current Customer Service IT systems architecture. packaged goods retailer, needs to monitor
social media for sentiment, use social analytics
• With a viable architecture and application posture, you can now to gain intelligence, and receive and respond to
inquiries made over Twitter.
begin scoring and plotting key initiatives along a roadmap.
• Group similar requirements into categories of need and formulate
The initiative:
logical initiatives to fulfill the requirements.
Implement a social media management
• Ensure that all requirements are related to business needs, platform (SMMP): A SMMP is able to deliver
measurable, sufficiently detailed, and prioritized, and identify on all of the above requirements. SMMPs are
highly capable platforms that have social
initiatives that meet the requirements. listening modules and allow costumer service
representatives to post to and monitor social
media.
The Process Info-Tech Research Group | 85

3.3 Prioritize your initiatives and plan the order of
rollout
Initiatives should not and cannot be tackled all at once. There are three key factors that dictate the
prioritization of initiatives.
Example scenario using Info-Tech’s Initiative Scoring and
Roadmap Tool
An electronics distributor wants to implement social media monitoring and response. Its
Value existing CRM does not have robust channel management functions. The organization
plans to replace its CRM in the future, but because of project size and impact and
• What is the monetary value/perceived business value?
budgetary constraints, the replacement project has been scheduled to occur two years
• Are there regulatory or security related impacts if the initiative is not from now.
• The SMMP solution proposed for implementation has a high perceived value and is
undertaken? low risk.
• What is the time to market and is it an easily achievable goal? • The CRM replacement has higher value, but also carries significantly more risk.
• Option 1: Complete the CRM replacement first, and overlay the social media
• How well does it align with the strategic direction? monitoring component afterward (as the SMMP must be integrated with the CRM).
• Option 2: Seize the easily achievable nature of the SMMP initiative. Implement it now
Risk and plan to re-work the CRM integration later.
• How technically complex is it?
• Does it impact existing business processes?
• Are there ample resources and right skillsets to support it?
Dependencies
• What initiatives must be undertaken first?
• Which subsequent initiatives will it support? Info-Tech Research Group | 86
Input Output
3.3a Develop a Customer • Input the initiative • A list of initiatives and a
Service IT Systems initiative information including the

start date, end date, owner,
roadmap toward the
organization’s future state of
roadmap
and dependencies Customer Service IT
Systems
• Adjust the evaluation
criteria, i.e., the value and
risk factors
1 hour
• Complete the tool as a team during a one-hour meeting to collaborate and agree on
criteria and weighting.
1. Input initiative information.
2. Determine value and risk evaluation criteria.
3. Evaluate each initiative to determine its priority. Materials Participants
4. Create a roadmap of prioritized initiatives.
• Customer Service Initiative • Applications Director

Scoring and Roadmap Tool
• CIO
• Customer Service Head
Download the Customer Service Initiative Scoring and Roadmap Tool

Document and communicate the strategy
Leverage the artifacts of this blueprint to summarize your findings and communicate the outcomes of the
strategy project to the necessary stakeholders.
Document Section Proposed Content Leverage the Following Artifacts
Executive Summary • Introduction Project Charter sections:
• The opportunity • 1.1 Project Overview
• The scope • 1.2 Project Objectives
• The stakeholders • 1.3 Project Benefits
• Project success measures • 2.0 Scope
Project RACI Chart Tool:
• Tab 3. Simplified Output
Background • The project approach Blueprint slides:
• Current situation overview • Info-Tech’s methodology to develop your IT Strategy
• Results of the environmental scan for CS Systems
Future-State Vision • Customer service goals Customer Service Business Process Shortlisting Tool:
• Future-state modeling findings • Tab 2. Customer Service Goals
• Tab 5. Level 5 Process Inventory
Future State Business Process Models
Current Situation • Current-state modeling findings Customer Service Systems Strategy Tool :
• Current-state architecture findings • Tab 2. Inventory of Applications
• Gap assessment • Tab 7. Systems Health Heat Map
• Requirements • Tab 8. Systems Health Dashboard
• Tab 9. Future vs. Current State
• Tab 4. Requirements Collection
Summary of Recommendations • Optimization opportunities N/A
• New capabilities
IT Strategy Implementation Plan • Implementation plan Customer Service Initiative Scoring and Roadmap
• Business case Tool :
• Tab 2. CS Initiative Definition
• Tab 4. CS Technology Roadmap Info-Tech Research Group | 88
Summary of If you would like additional
Accomplishment support, have our analysts
guide you through other
Develop an IT Strategy to Support Customer phases as part of an Info-
Service Tech workshop.
With ecommerce accelerating and Contact your account representative for

customer expectations rising with it, more information.
organizations must have an IT strategy to
support Customer Service. workshops@infotech.com
1-888-670-8889
The deliverable you have produced from
this blueprint provides a solution to this
problem: a roadmap to a desired future
state for how IT can ground an effective
customer service engagement. From
omnichannel to self-service, IT will be
critical to enabling the tools required to
digitally meet customer needs.
Begin implementing your roadmap!

Related Deliver a Customer Service Training Program to Your IT
Department
Info-Tech
• One training session is not enough to make a change. Leaders must embed the habits,
create a culture of engagement and positivity, provide continual coaching and
development, regularly gather customer feedback, and seek ways to improve.
Research
Build a Chatbot Proof of Concept
• When implemented effectively, chatbots can help save costs, generate new revenue,
and ultimately increase customer satisfaction for both external- and internal-facing
customers.
The Rapid Application Selection Framework

• Application selection is a critical activity for IT departments. Implement a repeatable,
data-driven approach that accelerates application selection efforts.

Bibliography (1/2)
• Callzilla. "Software Maker Compares Call Center Companies, Switches to Callzilla After 6 Months of Results." Callzilla. N.d. Accessed: 4 Jul. 2022.
• Cisco. “Transforming Customer Service.” Cisco. 2018. Accessed: 8 Feb. 2021.
• Gottlieb, Giorgina. “The Importance of Data for Superior Customer Experience and Business Success.” Medium. 23 May 2019. Accessed: 8 Feb. 2021.
• Grand View Research. “Customer Relationship Management Market Size, Share & Trends Analysis Report By Solution, By Deployment, By Enterprise Size, By End Use, By Region,
And Segment Forecasts, 2020 – 2027.” Grand View Research. April 2020. Accessed: 17 Feb. 2021.
• inContact. “Hall Automotive Accelerates Customer Relations with inContact.” inContact. N.d. Accessed: 8 Feb. 2021.
• Kulbyte, Toma. “37 Customer Experience Statistics to Know in 2021.” Super Office. 4 Jan. 2021. Accessed: 5 Feb. 2021.
• Kuligowski, Kiely. "11 Benefits of CRM Systems." Business News Daily. 29 Jun. 2022. Accessed: 4 Jul. 2022.
• Mattsen Kumar. “Ominchannel Support Transforms Customer Experience for Leading Fintech Player in India.” Mattsen Kumar. 4 Apr. 2020. Accessed: 8 Feb. 2021.
• Microsoft. “State of Global Customer Service Report.” Microsoft. Mar. 2019. Accessed: 8 Feb. 2021.
• Ringshall, Ben. “Contact Center Trends 2020: A New Age for the Contact Center.” Fonolo. 20 Oct. 2020. Accessed 2 Nov. 2020.
• Salesforce. “State of Service.” Salesforce. 4th ed. 2020. Accessed: 8 Feb. 2021.
• Sopadjieva, Emma, Utpal M. Dholakia, and Beth Benjamin. “A Study of 46,000 Shoppers Shows That Omnichannel Retailing Works.” Harvard Business Review. 3 Jan. 2017.
Accessed: 8 Feb. 2021.

Bibliography (2/2)
• Tech Pro Research. “Digital Transformation Research Report 2018: Strategy, Returns on Investment, and Challenges.” Tech Pro Research. 29 Jul. 2018. Accessed: 5 Feb. 2021.
• TSB. “TSB Bank Self-Serve Banking Increases 9% with Adobe Sign.” TSB. N.d. Accessed: 8 Feb. 2021.
• VoiceSage. “VoiceSage Helps Home Retail Group Transform Customer Experience.” VoiceSage. 4 May 2018. Accessed: 8 Feb. 2021.

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Develop an IT Strategy to

Support Customer Service

Info-Tech Research Group Inc. is a global leader in providing IT research and

Contents 1 Executive Brief

2 Phase 1: Define Project and Future State

3 Phase 2: Evaluate Current State

4 Phase 3: Build Roadmap to Future State

Info-Tech Research Group | 2

Thomas E. Randall, Ph.D.

Info-Tech Research Group | 3

Info-Tech Research Group | 4

• Ready-to-use deliverables that analyze and provide a roadmap

• A modernization process that aids Customer Service digital

• Building and expanding the organization’s customer base to

Of customers agree that the

Customers want their issues resolved as quickly

The future of customer service is tied up with

Situation Solution Results

Info-Tech Research Group | 9

IT benefits Customer Service

IT pain points Customer Service pain points

73% of customers prefer to shop across multiple channels

PHASE 2: Evaluate Current State

PHASE 3: Build a Roadmap to Future State

systems going forward.

Metric Description Current Metric Future Goal

Info-Tech Research Group | 16

Day 1 Day 2 Day 3 Day 4 Day 5

5.2 Support communication

Info-Tech Research Group | 18

Phase 1 following activities:

1.1a Create your project’s RACI chart

1.1b Finalize your project charter that

1.2a Begin documenting business

• Customer Service Director

Customer Service Perspective IT Perspective

• IT should involve Customer Service from the beginning of project

Phases 1.2 – 1.3 A R C C I C C

RACI chart participants and

2. Use Info-Tech’s Project RACI Chart to identify ownership of tasks.

3. Record roles in the Project RACI Chart.

• Project RACI Chart • Applications Director

• Customer Service Director

Download the Project RACI Chart

• Project RACI Chart • Applications Director

• Project Charter Template • Customer Service Director

Download the Project Charter Template

Customer Service-Facing Application Customer-Facing Application

Retention Efficiency Cross-Sell/Up-Sell

Info-Tech Research Group | 28

VoiceSage worked with Home Retail Group – a general

A global brand selling language-learning software utilized

An environmental scan seeks to understand your organization’s

Customers’ value-based segmentations.

The interaction channels customers prefer to use.

What your competitors are doing in this space.

Why IT should care: Implications:

Customers have little tolerance for mediocrity or poor service and

With maturing mobile and social technologies, customers want to

Customer service’s perception of service quality may be

Some customers may not provide your organization

Limitations of conventional listening:

IT can help facilitate the customer feedback process by: